Anniversary
by light4dawn
Summary: In the distant future, Bella and Jacob celebrate a special day, but a dark cloud looms over their lives. What else is there about this day? This was my entry for JBNP's Anon. contest. I wrote & submitted it last minute with no time to read over even once. I have since made significant changes, most notably the ending, which is far more detailed than it was for the contest.


_This story was an entry for the Jacob Black N Pack Anonymous One Shot contest that I wrote and submitted last minute without time to read over even once. I have since made significant changes to it, most notably the ending, which is far more detailed than it was for the contest. I was forced to stop typing at that time because the deadline was two minutes away!_

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**Disclaimer: ** _All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

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**Anniversary**

It was that date again.

I got out of bed slowly, careful not to disturb her. There was a lot to do before she woke up. The sun hadn't risen yet, but that was okay—my eyesight was still pretty good, even though I hadn't phased in decades.

None of my efforts would be a surprise, and we both knew it. Every year we ate the same breakfast together, and she pretended it was the first time I had cooked it for her. We needed the ritual, a reminder that in this changed world, our love had survived. She needed the assurance that I wouldn't change, that I'd be here always. The fear of being abandoned still haunted her.

I stepped lightly through the hallway, passing pictures on the walls on either side. Immediately outside our bedroom were photos of the two of us, when everything had still been new. Our smiling faces looked back at me from our backpacking trek through South America and our wedding day at city hall. Next were the snapshots from Christmases, birthdays, and camping trips long past. Finally, at the end of the hallway, just before getting to the great room, were pictures of Cecilia. The day she was born, her first birthday, and her first day of school. They went on and on, lining that section of wall from top to bottom.

Any designer would have looked at it in horror, but not us. I touched the one in the middle, from her high school graduation, remembering that day. It was the last celebration we had shared before she left for college.

The past lingered on, as I made my way into the kitchen and gathered ingredients for Bella's now favorite breakfast. Chopping the cheese into small cubes brought a smile to my face. Bella used to hate making this. She complained about the sticky mess the cheese left on the pan and how difficult it was to tell if the eggs were fully cooked. Cecilia was the only reason it had ever become a family favorite.

"Jake?" I jumped, startled. After so many years, you'd think I'd get used to being snuck up on, but I hadn't. "Here, let me help. It isn't fair that you be the one to do this every year."

"Don't worry, Bells. You know I'm an early riser."

"I _want_ to help. It's about time I did something on this day too. It's supposed to be for both of us."

"If that's what you want." I learned a long time ago not to argue with her. Arguing about nothing had been our worst flaw as a couple. That was, until we had _something_ to argue about. But today wasn't the day for that. Today was for forgetting the bad and remembering the good.

"Why don't you continue with the eggs, and I'll make the cinnamon toast."

"What you mean is, why don't I do the part you hate while you make the thing I always screw up."

"You can phrase it however you'd like, Mr. Black."

"And that's exactly what I'll do, Mrs. Black."

I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek before breaking some eggs into a bowl.

"Looks like it's going to be a nice day today," Bella said wistfully.

"That's what the forecast said."

"Those things haven't been accurate in years. I'm surprised they even bother anymore. I was commenting on the sunrise." She pointed out our window where faint, yellow light streamed in through the shades. "It's been a while since we've had this clear a morning."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Do you think–"

"Not today, Bells."

"Of course, sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

The gooey scrambled eggs with cheese were laid out on our plates next to piles of cinnamon toast. Bella had also made mimosas with curly orange rinds resting on the edge of the champagne flutes.

It really was a breakfast meant for a child, other than the mimosas. This tradition had started many years ago, and now, every year on September 13th, we sat down together for breakfast, eating this same breakfast. So many years ago, when she still lived with us, this had been _her_ morning meal nearly every day.

"Happy Anniversary, Jake," Bella said, raising her glass. "Thirty-eight years, and many more yet to come."

"Happy Birthday, Bells," I replied, clinking my glass against hers. "Sixty–"

"Hey, hey, hey! We're not announcing my age!"

"Bells, it's only me here."

"There are some things a woman doesn't need to hear aloud."

"Fine. Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife." I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Tell me again how we ended up getting married on my birthday?"

"You ask me this every year, as though it were my fault somehow!"

"Hey, _you're_ not the one with a million special occasions on your birthday!"

"See, that's what I mean!" She rolled her eyes at me, but her lips were still turned up in a smile. "You didn't want to make a big fuss about it and thought doing it on your birthday, making it a shared occasion, would make it only half as big a deal."

"Yes, that's right, not that it worked…"

"Most wives would be happy to have a husband who always remembered birthdays and wedding anniversaries, making sure to do something special for each, even if they were on the same day!"

"Of course, and what an absolutely wonderful husband you've been." We took a sip of our mimosas, and then Bella looked down at her drink and frowned. "One more toast this year, okay, Jake?"

It was against the rules. We were supposed to only think about happy things on this day. But nothing had changed as far as our relationship was concerned. I was still putty in her hands.

"Sure, honey, anything you want."

"Happy birthday, Cecilia, our perfect daughter." I hated it when she used that word, but I went along with her because that's what today was about, being happy. "Another anniversary today."

"Happy birthday, Cecilia," I echoed, lifting my glass to meet hers. They touched again, but this time hesitantly, making only a faint clink. "Birthdays aren't really considered an anniversary."

"She's thirty-five today." Bella ignored my remark. She generally did when the topic of Cecilia came up.

"That's how old she would have been." I kept reminding myself today wasn't the day to bring up old arguments. But Bella had broken the rules first.

"She's the only child we ever had, Jacob," Bella whispered.

"Yes, she was, but she's gone now, Bells."

Bella dropped her fork onto her plate, and she pushed it away from her. "I'm not hungry." It had been a long time since anything like this had happened on our anniversary. September 13th had been smooth for almost seven years now. I guess that streak had come to an end.

"Come on, honey." I reached across the table and took her hand in mine. "This is supposed to be our one day of peace."

"She could have still been ours, Jake. It didn't have to be this way…"

"Not today, hon." I was trying, but the wedge driven between us was too tightly lodged. _We_ had been "perfect" once… Now, I hated hearing that word.

"We were too stubborn, too rash. If it weren't for–"

"Bella, don't, please. I'm begging you."

I tried not to take the accusations personally. She often remembered that day differently, as though her mind were defending itself from the truth—that nothing we did or said could have resulted in a different outcome.

"But today could have been different! There didn't have to be a cloud over this day!"

"Nothing would have taken that cloud away. Who are you kidding, Bells? There's nothing that could ever make it like it used to be." How many times had we had this conversation? How many _more_ times could I remain silent, knowing _she_ had brought it—_him_—on us!

"You were so harsh, Jake. It got me started too. You've always hated them so much, never able to see any good in them. Maybe if we were more understanding…?"

"Me, harsh? I don't remember you being any better!" I was losing my patience. Fifteen years was a long time to remain calm. "I didn't _make_ you do anything! Don't put this all on me, Bells. You're forgetting what that day was like."

"I remember not being disgusted by our own child!"

"No, you weren't disgusted. You were jealous!"

She stood up quickly, knocking over her glass. I reached across the table to clean up the mess, but she stopped me, grabbing my wrist. "This is something that can't be fixed."

"I'm not trying to fix anything—I'm trying to make it bearable."

"What do you think happened, Jake?"

"I don't know… The only ones with the answers are the two we can't find." The truth was, we stopped looking a long time ago.

"Fifteen years… It's too long."

"I know."

"I wish that day, that last time we saw her was different, better."

"Me too."

"I wish it had happened on some other day…a week before, a week later…any other day but _that_ day. Maybe we would have acted differently."

"She picked that day on purpose, and you know it."

Bella nodded.

"How do you think he found her?"

"He was probably looking for you."

"It had been so many years."

"You never suspected he'd check up?"

"I guess I always knew he would."

Fucking Edward. I got the girl, we drove him and his family away, and somehow, he _still_ found a way to steal my happiness.

Fifteen years ago, Cecilia had called us from college to say she wouldn't be able to visit us this fall, not even Thanksgiving. This was after she had opted to stay on campus over the summer. We couldn't understand. She made one excuse after another, but none of them made sense. In the end, we went to see her.

When we got to Pullman, she had already moved out of her apartment, withdrawn from school, and disappeared. We found no trace of her. Charlie had passed away a few years back, so we couldn't ask him to pull any favors, but Seth, Collin, and Brady were still phasing, and we asked them instead.

They knew right away what had happened the moment they stepped into her old apartment. The smell gave it away—more specifically, _his_ smell. Seth still recognized it.

"Are you sure it's Edward? It's been almost thirty years!"

"Trust me, Jake, it's him. And the scent is everywhere."

"How old do you think it is?"

"I don't know…a few days?"

"Can you can track it?"

"No, it ends down at the street. They probably took a car."

"Maybe you can try to look them up?"

"How? They've been hiding for centuries."

"Carlisle—he's always working somewhere, and they like using their own names. I'm sure if we try a few variations, we'd come up with something." It was the only thing Bella offered, and even then, she looked distant, barely conscious of her surroundings.

Bella had been right. They were easier to find than I expected. Surprisingly, not much effort had been exerted to hide—cocky bastards.

When we called, there were a lot of denials, which led to accusations, but eventually, the truth came out. The problem was, Cecilia refused to speak to us. In the end, Carlisle insisted Cecilia had to meet with us one last time before…before they would consent to do as she asked.

She chose the time and place, and only one day would suffice. No matter how hard I tried, our words and her words from that day never faded. They had been branded into my memory.

"I'm an adult, and you can't stop me!" She had shouted, sounding too much like a petulant child, not nearly old enough to make her own decisions.

"Why? Why would you want to do this?" Bella had pleaded.

"Because I love him, and he loves me. It's the only way we can be together, forever." They were familiar words.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Cecilia, this will make you into a monster!" I had told myself I'd stay calm. It barely lasted two minutes.

"What, you mean like you, Dad?" I flinched. We had never told Cecilia about our involvement with the supernatural.

"What the hell did he say about me?"

"He told me _everything_."

"It wasn't up to him to tell you!" This wasn't how she was supposed to have found out, and least of all from _him_!

"Then why didn't _you_ tell me?" Why hadn't I? There were opportunities when I could have. She had always commented on how young Uncle Seth looked.

A thought occurred to me, one even more horrible—or was it—than the fate she was giving up her life for. "You have the same blood coursing through your veins. His venom might kill you, for good."

"I'll take my chances."

"Cecilia, you can't do this! Don't throw your life away!" Bella threw herself towards her, taking her hands. Cecilia pulled them away and took a step back.

"Who are _you_ to talk? You wanted the same thing once!" Those words re-opened a wound I had long believed was healed. " Are you concerned for me, or jealous he doesn't want _you_ anymore? I know _everything_, Mom—how they were forced to leave, and you weren't allowed to go with them. Alice even saw you in the mental institution before you let Dad come around again."

Tears ran down Bella's flushed face.

"That's enough, Cecilia." My voice came out harsher than I'd planned. Bella shook in my arms as I guided her away. If I convinced her to wait in the car, maybe I could talk some sense into our daughter, at least buy some time. Buying time, had my life come full circle? Was I back to buying time in the hopes of saving a young girl's life—again?

Bella struggled with me, and I loosened my grip, knowing from experience that force would never get me what I wanted with her.

"You realize it's just your blood, like it was with me! I bet he can't read your mind either. You're a novelty for him, Cecilia. You're a pet he can't help but be drawn to, and as an added bonus, a tool to exact his revenge on Jacob!"

"He _can_ read my thoughts because _I'm_ not a mutant freak like you! And my blood isn't the same as yours. He's tasted it."

"What the fuck!" I reached out and grabbed my child's arm. It was seventy degrees and she was wearing a turtleneck. I pulled up both sleeves, and yanked down the collar, creating a tear. There were track marks on her arm, like a drug addict would have, and bruises everywhere. Many were in the shape of fingers. "What the _fuck_ has that sick bastard done to you!"

She tried to pull away, struggling with me but wasn't strong enough to escape from my hold.

"He's poisoned you, they all have! That's the only explanation for…_this_!" Bella yelled through tears. "What is this? They don't drink human blood!"

"It was my idea, to satiate his hunger so we could…" Her voice trailed off. Why was she suddenly turning timid? No!

"Tell me he didn't touch you!" I already knew the answer, as I stared at the finger shaped bruises on her neck. I ran my eyes up and down my only child, taking more careful inventory of her state.

Cecilia had lost weight, there were dark circles under her eyes, and something about her midriff was strange, almost lumpy. The father in me acted on instinct and ignored societal rules of appropriate behavior. I pulled her top up revealing some sort of bandaging around her ribs. She pulled her shirt back down and glared at me. Why did my baby have broken ribs?

"I fell down," she said flatly, already seeing the question in my eyes.

"You don't fall," I hissed. As far as coordination was concerned, she was nothing like Bella. Often, I used to stare at her, convinced she had been born with my wolf reflexes.

"I did this time."

"It was _him_, wasn't it?" My mind drifted to places I didn't want to go to. Bella knew and put her hand in mine.

"You're wrong, Jake. She'd be… He wouldn't be able to and have her still…" She didn't need to complete her thought.

"He refused you, so that must mean he 'couldn't'?" Cecilia sounded arrogant. "How could someone as weak and ordinary as you be so self-centered? Look at you, clumsy, plain, and now you can add old to the list! No wonder he wouldn't touch you. Well, he touched me, and I liked it!"

I slapped her. Never did I think I was capable of striking her. She put her hand on her cheek and slowing turned her head to face me again.

"Honey, I'm sorry. You know we love you, but don't you understand? You're giving up everything—a normal future with change and growth. You're turning your back on children and family at the age of twenty!"

"I'll be gaining more than I'm losing." Her voice was quieter now. "I know how much you hate all this, but maybe, after some time, we could still have a relationship? I could visit, or we could meet somewhere."

"Gaining more? Do we mean so little to you? You can't have it all, Cecilia," Bella responded. "You think you can choose them—your father's natural enemy, the one man who wants revenge over _us_—your flesh and blood, and we'd still get together for Christmases?" Bella shouted, her eyes wild with madness. "Sometimes choices mean you have to make sacrifices. Don't sacrifice your family and your future for them. I know how alluring their life seems, but there isn't a single one among them who wouldn't trade it all to be human."

I took in our surroundings, wondering if I were still strong and fast enough to take her away against her will without some Good Samaritan stopping me. The park was big, too big. It was a good half-mile to the car. Between the parking lot and us were many families and couples, including some pretty strong looking guys, much younger than me. In the opposite direction was a treed area, possibly a forest. That was an option, but where would I take her from there?

"Look, there's nothing more to say here. I wasn't asking for your permission, and nothing you say is going to change my mind." She took a slow step back "I'll be in touch, maybe in a year, when you've had some time to get used to all this."

"After _we've_ gotten used to it? Don't you mean after _you've_ gotten over your newborn bloodlust and can be trusted to be around your parents without drinking them dry?" Bella reached out and grabbed our daughter's wrist. "I _chose_ your father over them! _You_ get to have us in your life when _you're_ ready to choose us over them, too!"

"You never chose him," Cecilia hissed. The two of them, mother and daughter, had always had a tenuous relationship, their differing personalities constantly clashing. "You were dumped and went to Dad because he was willing to take you! If you had the choice I have now, you'd be doing the same thing, and you know it!"

I tried to let the truth I had always feared, but had chosen to ignore, remain buried in the deepest recesses of my aching heart.

"I had that choice, many times over, and turned my back on it! If that…abomination of a life was what I had wanted, I could have made it so. I was an adult, and he was never able to say no to me. The reason I stayed behind was because I chose to! You hear one side of a story, and you think you know everything?"

Hope welled into my wound at Bella's words, giving me the courage to speak again.

"Ceecee, he's using you, hon. I'd never want this for you, this…life, if that's what you can call it, but it'd be different if I believed he loved you, for _you_." That was a lie, but desperate times called for desperate measures. "It's not a coincidence that after so many years, the only girl he falls for is _my_ daughter."

The forest wasn't looking like such a bad option after all. Would Bella be able to follow me in?

"You're not the best person to be judging his motives, Dad. You've always hated him."

"No, he's not," Bella interjected, "but I am! Vengeance is one of their strongest motives. They would deny their hunger for blood to seek out vengeance!"

I couldn't wait any longer. Hopefully, I had more of my wolf strength and speed than I had thought previously. I moved to pick Cecilia up in my arms and make a run for the woods.

I never got a chance. Stone, cold hands stopped me, touching my flesh with a chill that burned.

"Don't do this, Edward. Please, she's my only child!" I heard Bella plead.

"Bella, you know if there were any other way… She is as stubborn as you were and will have nothing more than what you once desired."

"Liar!" Bella spat back. "Don't make yourself out to be helpless! The reason this is happening is because you don't have the courage to give her up, to do what's right, at the expense of denying yourself!"

"Is there anything more you needed to communicate, love?" Hearing the same endearment being used on my daughter made me cringe.

"We're done, Edward." Cecilia's face was unreadable to me, and her voice quiet and monotone.

"Ceecee, please, just wait, a few years, a few months, give us a chance too, before you jump into this!"

They were useless words as I watched my daughter get whisked into the woods at speeds I wished I were still capable of.

That was the day our family was lost forever.

This was our anniversary. September 13th was Bella's birthday, the day we got married, they day our only child was born, and quite possible, the day she died.

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_I hope you enjoyed this new and improved version of Anniversary. Reviews are always appreciated!_


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